Tag: Komune

Hong Kong’s top al fresco restaurants for summer dining

There’s just something magical about summer days, breezy evenings and outdoor dining. And with a low threat of local COVID-19 cases these days (fingers crossed!), relaxed social restriction norms, there’s no better time to enjoy a gourmet meal of al fresco excellence than now.

Book yourself a table and make the most of your sunny weekend at one of Gafencu’s handpicked al fresco restaurants. Beachside to skyline or a garden view, whatever’s your vibe, we got you covered…

For a French garden lunch: 
Michelin-starred Louise, serves heartwarming traditional French cuisine in a two-storeyed heritage house within the gardens of PMQ. Steeped in the ideas of authentic traditions and home cooking, it bridges the gap between fine dining and a relaxed all-day fare with an intimately chic backyard garden vibe.
Where: Louise, PMQ, Central
Cuisine: French
Contact: (852) 2866 0300

For a chic al fresco meal
A chic al fresco venue framed by the iconic arches that The Murray is known for, Cotton Tree Terrace serves discerning diners looking for an easy and casual dine-in location for cocktails and lunch. Offering international dishes and grilled specialties from The Tai Pan kitchen, gourmands can enjoy the quaint atmosphere of the space over an enticing meal.
Where: The Murray, Central
Cuisine: Continental
Contact: (852) 3141 8888

For Asian cuisine by the sea:
What’s the upside to the Southside of Hong Kong Island? A whole lot of open-air, pristine beaches and mouth-watering food options. Spices is our top choice for a contemporary, eclectic meal at Repulse Bay. Book a table at the restaurant’s courtyard and enjoy a slew of Asian flavours that range from Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Indian with a breathtaking view of the sea. 
Where: The Repulse Bay, Repulse Bay
Cuisine: Mixed-Asian
Contact: (852) 2292 2821

For a fun vegetarian meal on the lawn
The huge, vibrant, and contemporary terrace space of Komune makes for a unique dining space for the southern Staunton Valley of Wong Chuk Hang. Patrons can bask in the warmth of the sun while sipping on some deliciously creative cocktails and enjoy generously portioned vegetarian sharing plates with cool tunes to set the tone. 
Where: Ovolo Southside Hotel, Wong Chuk Hang
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Contact: (852) 3460 8157

For a laid-back beachside meal
Enjoy a long road trip down to the less frequented South Lantau for a relaxing day at the beach and end it with an even more chill modern British beachside lunch at Bather’s. With a close focus on fresh seafood but also stocking well-loved favorites such as burgers and fish and chips, all with the sweeping panoramic views of the long stretch of Cheng Sha Beach in the background.
Where: Lower Cheung Sha, South Lantau
Cuisine: Modern British
Contact: (852) 2504 4788

For an art-driven dining space
If you or your dining companion enjoys appreciating art, the leafy terrace at Duddell’s doubles up as an art gallery, restaurant and lounge bar. We are fans of the green foliage on the terrace, the mis-matched furniture contrasted with the brass-patterned windows and the amazing selection of cocktails here! Make sure to enjoy their exquisite weekend brunch – it’s an all-you-can-eat dim sum spread with free-flow Champagne. Do we say more?
Where: Shanghai Tang Mansion, Central
Cuisine: Chinese
Contact: (852) 2525 9191

For a romantic classic Italian fare
Classic Italian situated within a close distance of Central’s many commercial and financial centers, Gaia regularly draws a huge crowd for its classic Roman charm, regional Italian classics, and its al fresco front that makes for a sophisticated yet relaxed dining space for both romantic and familial meals. Let the nearby water fountain to set the dreamy mood.   
Where: Grand Millenium Plaza, Sheung Wan
Cuisine: Italian
Contact: (852) 2167 8200

For a colonial vibe with a view:
Housed in a 19th-century Grade II Historic Building at the summit of Victoria Peak,  The Peak Lookout (formerly known as the Peak Cafe) is a perfect spot for an intimate dinner or a relaxed afternoon with with the gang. It’s warm, colonial, cabin-esque interiors are inviting and make us nostalgic for an era gone by. Go there for the majestic Peak view and stay for the grub. The place is a winner!
Where: The Peak Lookout, The Peak, Central
Cuisine: Intercontinental 
Contact: (852) 2849 1000

For a casual break from art viewing
Not your everyday Thai eatery, this one. Earning a Michelin star just last year, Aaharn boasts of an authentic cuisine using only the best quality ingredients that are directly flown from Thailand. Patrons can expect to experience the real deal of kup kao in historical surroundings, meaning a meal eaten with rice underneath a mango tree. Grab front row tickets to live art performances on the main grounds of Tai Kwun whilst savouring a canapé of crispy noodles with crab – the restaurant is a crowd-pleaser for a reason! 
Where: Tai Kwun, Central
Cuisine: Thai
Contact: (852) 2703 9111

For a secluded and intimate group gathering
Situated in the bay of Three Fathoms Cove, One-Thirtyone is the perfect location for a private lunch outdoors. Serving a European menu that features beloved favourites such as amuse bouche, seafood, and Italian staples, all cooked with locally sourced produce. The three-storey Mediterranean-style building in Sai Kung provides a mesmerizing backdrop for all occasions, from dates to weddings. 
Where: Sai Kung
Cuisine: European / Mediterranean
Contact: (852) 2791 2684

 

Green Restaurants: Four ways to eat sustainably

The importance of sustainability in Hong Kong’s food and beverage industry is clearly reflected in how local  restaurants have changed their practices in various ways, notably in their sourcing of ingredients and use of  a zero-waste approach in materials used to deliver sumptuous meals and premium services. Chefs and restaurateurs have begun to understand the scope of how the industry contributes to climate change and the rise of greenhouse gasses, and they are leading the change to promote more sustainable options to dining out. Here are some ways to eat sustainably:

 

Green Restaurants Five ways to eat sustainably gafencu magazine dining roganic
(Image from Roganic)

Eat locally-sourced produce

Restaurants that source meat locally can play a major role to reduce carbon footprint and promote sustainability, but this is difficult to achieve completely since the majority of foodstuffs are imported. Despite the challenges, Michelin-starred contemporary British restaurant, Roganic, put an utmost importance on sourcing top-quality ingredients from local suppliers as much as possible. Offering sustainably sourced produce and top-notch dishes.

Highlight: Aulis Lunch Tasting menu

Price: Starts at HK$880 for lunch and HK$1,280 for dinner

roganic.com.hk

Green Restaurants: Five ways to eat sustainably dining gafencu magazine Amber 1
(Image from Amber)

Support local farmers

It’s a well-known fact that vegetables are best eaten fresh. They lose their flavour and nutritional value quickly the longer they are off the ground. Because of this, Amber, the two-Michelin-starred modern French fine dining restaurant at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental hotel, takes an environmentally and culturally conscious approach to cuisine. It meticulously sources ingredients, including vegetables, from local farms in the New Territories, and it combines them with traditional French techniques to deliver guilt-free, stunning and richly flavoured food. The practice reduces carbon footprint, kinder to the environment, and ensures better flavour and quality. 

Highlights: Vegetarian Amber Experience menu

Price: Starts at HK$788 for lunch and HK$1,548 for dinner

mandarinoriental.com

Green Restaurants Five ways to eat sustainably gafencu magazine dining arcane
(Image from Arcane)

Eat vegetarian dishes

Diners opt for meatless meals for various reasons. Beyond religious, ethical and dietary considerations, eating vegetarian dishes also contribute to a more eco-friendly environment because the process of growing vegetables releases less greenhouse gases than producing meat. Michelin-starred, Arcane, in Central not only fashions beautiful lush greenery that surrounds the dining space, but it also maintains its own garden where fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables are grown and featured on the menu. They happily cater to diners’ requests to alter menu dishes into vegetarian and vegan options, a service that is rarely entertained by other restaurants.

Highlight: Sautéed potato gnocchi

Price: HK$328

arcane.hk

Green Restaurants Five ways to eat sustainably gafencu magazine dining chilli fagara
(Image from Chilli Fagara)

Eat plant-based meat

Production of plant-based meat is a growing industry around the world, and its popularity in the city is certainly picking up. A case in point is Sichuan restaurant, Chilli Fagara, on Old Bailey’s Street. A partner of Green Monday, a social venture group that pioneered in the city plant-based meat like, Impossible Foods and Omnipork, the ma la tang Chinese restaurant is the only Sichuan restaurant in the city that serves plant-based Chinese food.

Highlight: Impossible Dumplings

Price: HK$118

chillifagara.com

 

Komune opens doors at Ovolo Southside with playful cuisine from Chef El Palanca

Less than a month after its opening, Gafencu taste-tested the newest “B&F” concept KOMUNE at the up-and-coming Wong Chuk Hang neighbourhood.

Komune boasts a large open-air terrace

The 22-day-old restaurant was unexpectedly packed during the lunch service when we visited one cool January day. Maxi, Komune’s Argentinian F&B manager, gave us a warm welcome to offset the chill from outside. An initial tour of the duplex all-day dining venue revealed a large garden terrace doubling as an events space, a colourful shipping container bar downstairs, and fantastic views of mountain and sea. We were off to a good start.

Let’s backtrack a bit. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw all the new F&B establishments that had sprung up in Wong Chuk Hang since the last time I had been there. Komune, however, sets itself apart from all the ground-floor activity with its sweeping vistas and sprawling space.

Komune Head Chef Alvaro Ramos is also known as El Palanca

Chef Alvaro Ramos from Madrid, better known as “El Palanca”, heads the kitchen here. “Alvarito” was busy at the open kitchen when we arrived, cooking up a storm to enchant the eager diners. You can’t miss him – he has a forehead tattoo that reads “can’t lose.”

When he came over to our table later on, we understood why people call him “that crazy chef.” His eccentric and teasing manner should have prepared us for his equally quirky yet delicious kitchen creations.

Chef Alvaro Ramos is the mastermind behind Komune

The first dish, a “21st Century” deconstructed tortilla, is a nod to El Bulli’s “tortilla española”, complete with food-foaming technique. One-part potato foam, one-part onion purée, one-part egg-white sabayon all came together to effect a sublimed tortilla de patata. That was probably the closest I’ll ever get to Ferran Adrià’s masterpiece.

“International cuisine” is the theme at Komune, so from El Palanca’s homeland Spain we moved to South America’s gastronomic capital, Peru. The Hamachi served in a Peruvian tiradito style was swimming in “tiger’s milk” – a citrus-based marinade that cures the ceviche. Unbearably fresh, tangy and supplemented with crunch fried corn kernels.

We have nothing but good things to say about all of the other dishes we tried: Clams and chorizo in sake (we drank the broth to the last drop), Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad (hate kale but loved this), Classic Russian crab and salmon roe salad (shredded crab goodness) and the gigantic “Sea and Mountain” turbot.

Sichuan-Style slow-cooked short ribs are a must at Komune

However, the winning plate is Komune’s Sichuan-Style Slow-Cooked Short Ribs. I try not to eat too much meat, but one piece of this flavourful morsel melting over my tongue had me hooked.

Desserts are just as delightful as the savouries. If you’re a cheese person, the Liquid Cheesecake is a not-quite-sweet, not-quite-salty invention consumed with a side of sweet Piquillo pepper jam. We had no more space left for anything else, but the HK-style Eggette and Churros with two toppings have been marked on my ‘to-eat’ list. 

Don't miss out on the delicious churros at Komune

Finally, what’s with the “B&F” I mentioned earlier? Komune says it’s all about its beverage game as their bespoke concoctions are crafted by international cocktail consultancy Cocktail Professor. That we have yet to try, so watch this space.

With the boom of Southside’s art and dining scene (Read: South Island Renaissance), there are definitely enough reasons for you to head over to Wong Chuk Hang nowadays. But Komune, as we discovered, has been a most compelling one.

Ovolo Southside, 64 Wong Chuk Hang Rd. +852 3460 8157 ,+852 6111 7345 (Whatsapp). www.komune.com.hk 

Text: Julienne Raboca